Understanding the Diverse Literacy Needs of Profoundly Deaf Sign-Dominant Adults in Australia

Abstract

This review explores the literacy difficulties experienced by prelingual, profoundly deaf, sign-dominant adults. A critical overview of the existing literature identifies the importance of understanding their language experiences and word-coding preferences. Findings challenge the notion that a permanent lack of audition from birth prevents individuals from developing efficient strategies for the lexical processing of words and raises the possibility that sign-based word coding could play a central role in proficient word reading for those adults who cannot learn to read by way of the auditory perceptual route. The unique resources needed to assist in the development of the literacy skills of this minority group are discussed.

Miranda Warning Comprehension: The Influence of Verbal Aptitude and Hearing Status

“…This difference in reading comprehension can be partly due to challenges DHH individuals face when learning a language. Ninety-five percent of DHH children are born to hearing parents, who may not have sufficient resources or skills to ensure their child obtains satisfactory language skills (Furlonger & Rickards, 2011). These challenges are further exacerbated because prelingual DHH children may be exposed to language less often than hearing children.…”

The Challenge of Learning to Read Written English for the Profoundly Pre-lingually Deaf Adult

“…Profoundly deaf childrens' literacy skills generally lag behind their hearing peers (Rudner et al 2015) and so a reading delay of six to eight years is not unexpected by the time they graduate high school (Mayberry, del Giudice & Lieberman 2010). Even at tertiary institutions, the average equivalent reading level is only at about the eighth grade (Bochner & Walter 2004), a fact of particular importance as literacy development for both deaf and hearing students is seen as critical for academic and workplace advancement (Furlonger & Rickards 2011, Zin, Wong & Rafik-Galea 2014.…”

“…However, there is scarce research regarding whether Australian Sign Language (Auslan) can effectively be used to process written words. Despite the lack of empirical research in Australia, a significant contribution to the theoretical understanding of how sign language can be used for reading has been made by Johnston (2002) who has detailed at least three ways in which Auslan can be connected to English print (for full review see Furlonger & Rickards 2011). First, the twenty-six hand configurations of Auslan fingerspelling that correspond with each letter of the English alphabet can be used to represent printed text.…”